Tactile Flux

Project Type

Architectural Design Competition

Location

Pittsburgh, PA

Collaborators

Garret Rauk

Sponsored by EPIC® Metals Corporation, the competition was for the design of a changing hut for Pittsburgh's Polar Bear Club; which each New Year’s Day holds a polar dive into the freezing Monongahela River. The jury asked for creative uses and expression of the metal deck products in the design.

In Tactile Flux, the boundaries of the Envista Taperdeck™️ are pushed within the limits of the allowable angle between two sheets. The structure curves onto itself, seamlessly transitioning from visible plinth, to wall, to private room.

Material
Constraints

Envista
Taperdeck^TM

Our first step was to understand the angles that the Envista Taperdeck™️ allowed between panels. From that understanding, we developed a connection detail to hold each panel in place.

Connection Detail

Prefab Metrics

Modular Sequence

Physical
Model

Side View

Model Making
Method

The physical model was made using 2- ply paper. A laser cutter was used to ensure accuracy of the panel dimensions and perforations.

Front View

Back View

The
Plinth

A bench element acts as a plinth to the changing hut; anchoring it down to the site.

Perforation
Pattern

The perforation pattern was developed using the Grasshopper plugin for Rhino. Each panel was assigned a privacy value. At 1, the panel had no perforations. The lower the privacy level, the denser the perforation would be. Consequently, the changing room provides complete privacy, while the overhead canopy lets in light and air.